Life-preserver.



W. J. G. HEBS.

LIFE PRESERVER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24, 1912.

1 ,O4:6,068. "Patented Dec. 3, 19 12.

'tively' light weight E'lf" FFlQE.

WILLIAM J. G. HEBS, OF ST. LQUIS, MISSGURI.

Liners-sensa ion.

to all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, YVJLLLAM J. G. Hens, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of St. Louis, State of lvlissouri, am the inventor of a certain new and useful Improvement in- Life-Preservers, of which the following is a specification, reference lie-1 and Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of one of the spring-coils utilized on my improved life saving garment for removahly holding and supporting stimulant-receptacles or containers.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in life preserve'rs, and more particularly to a certain and use ful life-preserver in the form of garment adopted to fit a wearer, the garment being provided with a plurality of sir-tight an water-prom compartments, which, when influted, render the garment buoyant and sustoin the wearer upon the surface of the water, the objects of my invention being to provide a simple, easily applied, and comparaarnient of the kind stated preferably in he term of a vest or sleeveless coat or jacket and. thus enable the wearer, while sustained thereby on the surface of the water, to have free, easy, full use of his limbs-looth arms and legs; to provide a garment of the kind stated having a plurality of separate air-tight and waterproof compartments, preferably in pairs, adapted to be independently or separately inflated and whereby also a puncture of one of said coinpurtn'ients Wiil not destroy the buoyancy of the gurn'ient or materially uiilect its ethciency or sustaining properties; to pro ride it garment of the kind stnted haying plurality of independent elongated tie lole tubes provided with suitable valves and each communicating with one of said pairs oi compartments, whereby air may be readily forced or blown into said compartments while the garment is upon the wearer and the some rendered buoyant and capable of supporting'or sustaining the wearer upon the surface of the water; to providerv gen ment of the mud stated having :1 series or 1:

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application one .nme 1.912. Serial No. moose Patented Dec, 3, 1912.

plurality of attaching devices,v preferably be quicklyapplied to and afterward calwearer thereof while 'in the water; and to improve generally upon life preservers of the class described. I

'With these objects in view, my invention struct on, arrangement, and combination: o parts hereinafter more fully described on afterward pointed out in the claim.

o a vest or sleeveless coat or j acket andcomprises an outer or main section 1 of suitable strong flexible fabric, such as canvas, havand arm-holes 3, adapted to-fit around the upper port on of a persons body, the verti- Cally-disposed edges of front portions 1; and

gether or meet at the frontof the wearer and being provided with suitable fastening devices, such as cooperating straps 4 and. buckles 5, whereby the garment may he firmly held upon the wearer.

An inner section 6 of suitable material, preferably flexible fabric, such as arranged upon, and suitably secured at its edges to, the inner face of section 1, this section 6 ha ring preferably the shape shown particularly in Figs. 1 and 2 and being adapted to extend longitudinally along the heck portion of section 1 and forwardly 6 of inner section 6 at the center of the bac of the garment is attached directly to the corresponding portion of outer section 1, and thus two separate non-coimnunicating chambers or, compartments C and formed between sections 1 and 6', each chamher or compartment {land 0' preferably comprising, and being subdivided, by etinching narrow stri s,

section 6 directly to tie inner facepai section 1 into, a, portion 0 extending longitudinally tion 0 extending forwardly theretrouilum when inflated is avoided. -Applied to the suitably arranged, within each of ssid'por consists in certain novel features of con,

As shown in the accompanying drawings,

new garment is preferably in the forming a preferably co'llarless neck-opening 2 canvas, is

w ere (lolor beneath an armhole 3. Hy such or rungcinent, undue bulging ofthe garment;

in the form of spring coils, whereby suitable 1 containers tor food or liquid stimulant may ried by the garment for the use of the cit a of section i being adapted to come to-y around under or beneath armrholes 3, ,as. shown. .A narrow vertmolly-disposed strip x as;

alongthebeclc of the garment ends porinner face of sections 1 and 6,01 otherwise I thus provide my new garment with two pairs of air-tight and water-proof pockets, the pockets of each pair communicating with each other, but the pockets of one pair not communicating with the pockets of the other pair. Attached in any suitable manner and preferably on the front face of portions a and a of outer section 1 and each communicating with a pair or said pockets, are elongated flexible tubes 8 provided at their outer ends with suitable, preferably check, valves 9, said tubes and their said valves being adapted to provide means whereby the wearer of the garment may quickly blow air into, or inflate, said pockets and thereby ren-..

der the garment amply buoyant to support and sustain said wearer upon the surface of the water. Normally the free ends of said tubes 8 are positioned in suitable pockets or keepers'10 arranged on the outerface of front portions a and c of section 1, as shown particularly in Fig. 1. And also located on the outer face of said portions a and .o' of section 1. is a series or a plurality of small reinforcing sections 11, and secured thereto in any suitable manner are spring-coils or other suitable fastening devices 12, thesd coils 12 being adapted to serve as means for removably securing and holding receptacles, such as the pocket 13- shown, in which may be carried food and liquid stimulant containers or the like.

Life-saving garments of my improved construction are particularly adapted to be carried on shipboard, one garment for each person. The garment can be quickly positioned on the body and then inflated; by blowing air into the compartments, thereby insuring the necessary buoyancy to sustain or support the wearer upon the surface of the water. It will be seen that I have provided two separate air compartments in my garment and arranged a filling tube for each compartment, so that in case either compartment is punctured, the buoyancy of the gar- Leeaeee ment will not be destroyed or materially affected.

A life saving garment of my improved construction is etticient, comparatively simple, can be quickly and easily applied for use, in no wise interferes with or hinders the free use of the arms or le s of the wearer, has a plurality of indepen ent air-tight and water-proof compartments, and, when collapsed and folded and-not in use, occupies little area, whereby a number thereof may be carried or stored on a ship without taking up too much room or floor space.

It will be understood that minor changes in the size, form, and construction of my new garment may beimade and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from thenature and principle of my invention. 1

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

The herein described prising an outer section of flexible fabric 1 having a neck portion 2 and-arm-holes 3 and being adapted to fit around the upper portion of a persons body, an inner section of flexible fabric secured at its edges to said outer section 1 and having a shape adapted to extend longitudinally along the back of section 1 and forwardly around and under said arm-holes 3, a pair of non-communieating compartments 0 and G between said inner andaouter sect-ions formed by securing said sections together throughout their height on a line 6 substantially centrally of the backs thereof, a pair of communicating chambers c and 0 in each of said compartments formed by securing said inner and outer sections to;

, i life-preserver comgether at points within said compartments,

connected sheets of water-proof material. in each of said chambers, the sheets in one of said chambers of one of said compartments communicating with the connected sheets in the other chamber of said pair. and independent inflating tubes for said pairs of connected sheets; substantially as described. i

In testimony whereof, name to this specification,

two subscribing witnesses. V WILLIAM J. G. l-IEBS.

I have signed my in the presence ot Witnesses: I

RUTH Pn'rnnson, ZELMA PINCUS. 

